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Soccer

5 storylines to watch in the Champions League this season

Continental competition is rarely short on narratives. But in instances when the football fails to deliver on suspense, fixtures between sides with polarized European pedigree and matchups rife with historical context provide enough of a plot.

With Thursday’s Champions League draw in Monaco acting as a fitting venue to highlight both the opulence and frequently inequitable nature of European contests, here’s a glance at five storylines to watch in this year’s competition.

Familiar friends become feared foes

Reunited and it feels so good. Continental heavyweights Juventus and Manchester United are set to square off on two occasions with Group H honors on the line, with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba facing their former sides.

Ronaldo, who tormented the Premier League for six seasons while with United, bagged 16 goals in European competition with the Red Devils. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner also played under Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, adding another wrinkle to a scenario not short on storylines. The bronzed Portuguese footballing deity will line up across from Pogba, who left United in 2012 due to a dearth of first-team appearances, only to return after four seasons with Juventus.

Not to be overlooked, speedy World Cup-winning Frenchman Thomas Lemar’s summer switch to the Spanish capital largely flew under the radar amid an enthralling quadrennial tourney in Russia, though the 22-year-old will be front and center when he faces former club Monaco in Group A play.

History champions Manchester City

With last season’s domestic double under his belt, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola can now focus on replicating his continental successes at Barcelona with his current lot, and history favors the Catalan coach’s chances.

Since the Champions League format changed for the 2003-04 installment, 40 percent of the tournament winners have come from Group F. With City gifted a facile task of besting the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk, Hoffenheim, and a youthful Lyon side, Guardiola and Co. should advance to the knockout stage with two matches to play.

Poch’s return to Catalan country marks next notch for Spurs

When Tottenham drew with Real at the Bernabeu before dumping the Spaniards by a 3-1 margin at Wembley, it marked a coming-of-age tale for the Londoners. Spurs would top the group, and a year on, they have again been given a chance to prove their worth.

This time, the Argentine gaffer and his charges will travel to the Catalan capital to face Barcelona, providing an opportunity for Tottenham to continue carving their place among Europe’s emerging clubs. Pochettino, who enjoyed his best spell as a center-half with Barcelona cohabitant Espanyol, again faces a tough challenge with Eredivisie holder PSV and three-time European Cup winners Inter rounding out Group B.

Group(s) of Death

Those who fancy groups stacked with bonafide contenders have been dealt a fortuitous hand. Of the eight groups, only Group G (Real, Roma, CSKA Moscow, Viktoria Plzen) has two clear favorites, and only Group D merits a laugh (Lokomotiv Moscow, Porto, Schalke, Galatasaray).

That leaves a half-dozen groups littered with quality sides, including the aforementioned Group B. Pair that with several others boasting three accomplished sides, such as Group A (Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, and Monaco), Group C (Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli, and Liverpool), and Group H (Juventus, Manchester United, and Valencia), and there are four assemblages that can lay claim to the “Group of Death” distinction.

Schalke, Galatasaray come away the biggest winners

Of the 32 teams involved Thursday, no sides – besides Lancashire leviathan Manchester City – benefited from the draw like Bundesliga outfit Schalke and Turkish giant Galatasaray.

Slotted into Group D with the most inferior of the eight Pot 1 clubs – Russian Premier League holder Lokomotiv Moscow – along with defending Portuguese champions FC Porto, both Schalke and Galatasaray will entertain realistic hopes of advancing to the last-16. The Gelsenkirchen lot has made the knockout stage of European competition in seven of the last eight seasons, and with relative unknown Domenico Tedesco bossing a youthful praiseworthy side, Schalke could be one of the darlings of the 2018-19 Champions League.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

NFL

Saints, Cards latest to help effect social change
9:14 PM ET

  • Mike Triplett

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    ESPN Staff Writer
    • Covered Saints for eight years at New Orleans Times-Picayune
    • Previously covered LSU football, San Francisco 49ers
    • Iowa native and University of Iowa graduate

  • Josh Weinfuss

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    ESPN Staff Writer
    • Covered the Cardinals since 2012
    • Graduate of Indiana University
    • Member of Pro Football Writers of America

METAIRIE, La. — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell joined New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson and a trio of Saints players on Tuesday for an in-depth look at New Orleans’ criminal justice system.

Also, Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill joined three of his players in a Tuesday meeting with Arizona governor Doug Ducey as part of the NFL’s ongoing efforts to effect social change.

Goodell’s visit to New Orleans was the latest in a series of “Listen & Learn” tours that have taken place around the league over the past year — one of many initiatives introduced by the Players Coalition in the wake of Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest and the social movement that followed.

Although anthem protests have created a firestorm, Saints tight end and Players Coalition member Benjamin Watson said what matters most is “how can we take this, which is now something people are talking about, and steer it in a way that is productive and creates the change that we want.”

“So I am proud of the way that no matter how we got to this point, I’m proud of the way that players have continued to educate themselves and the way that the NFL has come alongside us and helped us in this way,” Watson said, “because good can come from however something like that starts.”

To that point, the Players Coalition penned an op-ed in The Players’ Tribune last week that implored fans, media, politicians and owners to stop focusing solely on who is protesting during the anthem and to “refocus attention back on the systemic issues that plague the lives of millions of Americans.”

They wrote: “The Coalition’s actions are motivated by a deep patriotism, a desire to ensure that the realities of this country match its stated ideals, and that we live up to America’s foundational promise of opportunity and equality for all.”

Watson, Saints linebacker Demario Davis (who is also a member of the coalition) and Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan joined Goodell, Benson and Saints president Dennis Lauscha as they spent a full day sitting in on bail hearings and meeting with public defenders, former prisoners and leaders of grassroots organizations dedicated to criminal justice reform.

Watson and Davis already lent their support to a law that was passed in Louisiana earlier this year, restoring voting rights to felons on parole or probation after five years.

Other topics discussed Tuesday included Louisiana’s law that juries need only 10 out of 12 votes for a life-sentence conviction, and the unfairness of a user-funded court system when it comes to setting bail.

At one point, according to reports from NOLA.com and The New Orleans Advocate, Benson offered up office space in Benson Tower to Syrita Steib-Martin, the executive director of Operation Restoration, which helps women and girls re-entering society after prison stints.

“I thought it was great, man,” Watson said. “The [NFL’s] planning with the coalition, as well as in conjunction with the Saints … was very constructive.

“They have their viewpoints, which are varied, as well as ours are. But they’ve been more than willing to converse with players, to have Roger there and to have Mrs. Benson there … so it just shows that there are issues that we all can care about, no matter what our occupation is, no matter what our political bent is. It’s not really about that. It’s about people.”

Meanwhile, in Arizona, Cardinals safeties Antoine Bethea and Tre Boston and defensive tackle Corey Peters attended the meeting with the governor, which was organized by Bidwill to begin a dialogue about criminal justice reform that focused, in part, on the overpopulation of the state’s prisons.

Bethea said “there was some real good dialogue” between the players and the governor’s side.

“We definitely voiced our opinion on some things,” Bethea said — as did Ducey.

“He had some great ideas,” Bethea said. “Some great ideas. Already had some programs implemented. The teamwork, us teaming up in the near future in being able to do some good things. I’m excited for it.”

Boston said the most important aspect of the meetings was both sides understanding each other.

“It’ll only get better with more dialogue, with more understanding of what we went in there for,” Boston said. “The more I can talk to you, let you understand how I grew up, how I lived, the more I can kind of feel for it.”

Boston said discussing prison overpopulation was a “good first step.”

He hopes that Arizona can get to a point where it’s shutting down prisons instead of continuing to fill them at a high rate. In 2016, according to the Department of Justice, Arizona had the fourth-highest incarceration rate in the country.

Boston hopes any prison reform will be two-fold: help prevent overpopulation and help former prisoners get back on their feet. One idea Boston had was to have job fairs for released prisoners.

“How can we keep them out of petty crimes, the petty stuff, things like that,” Boston said. “On the way out, how can [we] get them jobs. If you’ve done a good job, you’re a good Samaritan, yeah you’ve made a bad choice, how can we get you a job going forward, really caring for them once they get out.”

Tuesday might have just been the first step, the players agreed, but there was progress, Bethea added.

“When we can talk about it, you can dialogue, you can come to an agreement on some things,” he said. “Obviously, you have your short-term goals and your long-term goals. Obviously, you’re going to put a lot of work into it. It’s not going to be something that’s going to happen overnight. Just being able to have that dialogue and sit and talk means that we can take it somewhere.”

Soccer

Former England captain John Terry rejects Spartak Moscow

London – Former Chelsea and England star John Terry has rejected the chance to make a shock move to Russian club Spartak Moscow.

Terry was reported to be on the verge of signing for Spartak after being flown by private jet to Rome on Friday for a medical.

The 37-year-old defender was believed to have been offered a wages in the region of £3 million ($3.9 million) for a one-year deal.

Spartak appeared confident of securing the high-profile signing, announcing on social media that they were preparing for “a very important guest”.

But after weighing up the move with his family, Terry, who has two children with his wife Toni, has opted against making the switch to Moscow.

“After considerable thought, I have decided to decline a contract offer from Spartak Moscow. I would like to take the opportunity to thank Spartak and wish them and their supporters well for the rest of the season,” Terry wrote on his official Instagram account.

“They are an ambitious club and I have been very impressed with their professionalism.

“But after assessing this move with my family, we’ve decided this is not the right move for ourselves at this time. Good luck Spartak.”

Terry spent last season with Championship side Aston Villa, but left after they failed to win promotion to the Premier League.

Following Villa’s play-off final loss to Fulham, Terry had considered retiring, but he told the Daily Mail on Saturday that he is keen to keep playing as long as possible.

Terry was one of Chelsea’s most decorated players, winning five Premier Leagues, five FA Cups, and the 2012 Champions League during his time at Stamford Bridge.

He also won 78 caps for England and captained his country on numerous occasions before being stripped of the armband after the Football Association ruled he had racially abused QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.

NFL

Rams returner Cooper (ankle) 'out for some time'
9:51 PM ET

  • Lindsey ThiryESPN

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    • Covered Rams for two years for Los Angeles Times
    • Previously covered the Falcons
    • Has covered the NBA and college football and basketball

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams are searching for a punt and kick returner after Pharoh Cooper suffered an ankle injury against the Oakland Raiders.

“He’s going to be out for some time right now,” Rams coach Sean McVay said Tuesday. “So that’s a big loss for us.”

Cooper suffered the injury late in the third quarter during a punt return.

McVay said Cooper was undergoing further evaluation to determine if surgery would be necessary.

“He’s just got some loose fragments in there. It’s a pretty serious ankle sprain is probably the best way I can put it,” McVay said. “However you cut it, with just the type of player that he is and just the specific position that he plays, it’s going to limit him for at least a few weeks at a minimum.”

Further complicating the situation, backup Michael Thomas suffered a groin injury Monday playing on special teams. McVay said Thomas also would be sidelined for at least a few weeks.

Receiver Cooper Kupp handled returns after Cooper was sidelined and could fill the role going forward, but McVay said all options would be explored.

“Whether we handle that internally or we go outside of somebody else to figure that role out, those are things that we’ve kind of been discussing,” McVay said. “In terms of making that final decision that will probably be something that we’ll probably decide on in the next day or so.”

Cooper, a third-year pro, returned two punts for 12 yards and returned three kickoffs for 75 yards against the Raiders.

Last season Cooper was named to the Pro Bowl after averaging 12.5 yards per punt return and 27.4 yards per kickoff return.

The Rams play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at the Coliseum.

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